Spark of the Heart
by scarletcriminal
Summary: Cortana feels lonely after John-117 decided to go to sleep as they drift through endless space. They get to talking and...well the story goes from there. Short one-shot, Cortana x the Cheif set after end of Halo 3


**So, it was late a year ago and I was tired. But I like this, because I love the thought of love that a) doesn't work or is b) totally naughty. This fits into the first one. Leave it to a little girl to find romantic backstories in a game like Halo. (I love Halo btw, and am about the only girl who does around here...scratch that AM the only...)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Halo.**

**This is set after the very end of Halo 3**

_**"Spark of the Heart"**_

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"Chief…Chief…Chief!"

"Ughn…" Master Chief stirred.

"Thank goodness you're awake!"

"Wh-what?" Suddenly, he came to, remembering what had happened.

"How long have I been gone? Has someone come?"

Cortana went silent.

"What?" He repeated.

"Set me down." She ordered. He obeyed her wish.

After a moment, Cortana's blew pixels blinked into the room. John-117 sat in front of her.

"No one's come." She admitted.

"Thanks for the missed sleep over that. Good night."

"Wait! I-um, you said to wake you when I needed you."

"So you need me to do something? You hear a noise that scared you that you want me to check out?"

"Ha, ha." She replied sarcastically. "Can't you be serious? Even I get bored of waiting all alone."

"So that's it? You want to talk to me."

"Well, I'm not going to talk to that scary noise."

John chuckled lightly. He turned his head to look out the large window. The eerie silence of space was something he should have been used to, but he couldn't help but be amazed by it every time.

The same was not on Cortana's mind. As the Chief stared at the stars, Cortana stared at him, eyeing him up and down. Though she was only a computer program, all the time spent with the Chief had certainly made him grow on her.

Cortana tried reaching out a hand. She would have given anything for a way to be there with him, her arms wrapped around his neck. Maybe she could even open his helmet and press a pair of lips against his. The wires of her face became overheated at the very thought.

"What do you want to talk about, anyway?" John asked, turning back to face her.

"Have you ever been in love, Chief?" She blurted out. Quickly she regretted it.

"That's a bit of a random question. And certainly not something I've ever heard you bring up."

"I understand if you don't want to-,"

"Yes."

"…I beg your pardon?"

"I've been in love. Once, twice."

Cortana couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was sure something in her circuitry had been fried that she was really hearing the Chief admit to being in love. Of all the things…

"Sure, it's not something a military official should speak about between other military officials…but I figure we have years to spend here…" John himself could not believe what he was saying. Whatever he attempted to say in order to make what he originally said right, he kept messing up. He apologized.

"No, I'm sorry I asked…" Cortana said, sitting down.

"I didn't know you could do that." He said.

"Do what?"

"Sit like that. What else can you do that I don't know about? Seems like one surprise after another with you."

Happy to be off the love subject, Cortana ran with the conversation.

"I can dance." She said playfully. "Doubt you knew that."

"I suspected it a few different times."

"Oh really? What do you mean by that?"

"You haunt my thoughts, woman."

Cortana was sure she could feel herself blushing now.

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah. You're the main character in my nightmares."

She frowned. That was not the answer she expected.

"I'm going to get them to give me software that'll let me do that more often. If you dream of flood and brutes eating your guts out, expect to see me doing it instead."

"Yeah, yeah…Can you move off of that thing?"

The answer he had guessed came from her; no.

"I wish I could sometimes." She said. They were silent for another moment.

"How about you, Cortana?" The sound of her name coming from him made her electronic heart skip a cycle. "Have you ever been in love?"

She thought about saying, 'So we're back on that?' or something along the lines. But she instead answered him.

"I am."

He stared intently at her.

"After the time we've spent together, I'll admit to it too." He said.

"A-admit to what?"

"What do you think? I'm admitting to being in love with you like you are me."

Cortana was positive she was about to shut down from the pure emotions flooding her hard drive.

"You say it as it's no big deal," is all she can manage to say.

"Well it isn't. It isn't like we _can_ love each other. Besides…you aren't real."

"Real isn't the same as human. I am most definitely real, just not…"

John lifted a green-plated finger, holding it in front of Cortana's figure. She stood up, leaning on it, as if trying to embrace him.

"You see? We cannot love each other."

"But we do."

"And…?"

"And…" Chief picked her up as she thought of what to say. She went back into his highly technical armour. "I'll stay here with you until there's a reason I can't." She imagined herself as a human, but inside the suit with John. She looked into the darkness and saw an imaginary face. She knew it was his. He could feel a sort of spark spread through his body as Cortana lay herself atop him. They knew the other was imagining the same thing as they try and forget they were lost in the void of space.

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**Liked it? Hated it? Be sure to tell me! Thanks for reading! :D -Louise Scarlet**


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